THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS38:163-167 (1978)

PUBLIC F O R U M

FOCUS ON DREAMS: H O W THEY CAN WORK FOR YOU Claude H. Miller

You may not remember them or even be aware of them, but you dream several times a night, every night. Dream periods can be monitored by electroencephalograph during periods of Rapid Eye Movement (REM); wake a sleeper during a REM period and he will report a dream in progress. Much can be learned from these unstructured stimuli. They are similar to Rorschach ink blots; without personal associations and projections, they mean nothing; in context, they reveal valuable information. A dream record kept over several months may prove quite practical in forming the continuum useful in dream analysis on a personal basis. Frequently people claim that they do not dream; actually, they simply do not remember the elusive dream. Much as ocular vision is divided into central and peripheral vision with two distinct types of receptors relaying information to the brain, memory is selective. Like central vision, frequently used facts are more easily recalled than the peripheral-vision equivalent--the dream. Retrieving dreams i's simply a matter of training. Before retiring, make up your mind to recall the dream immediately on awakening. When you do wake up, keep your eyes shut and concentrate on the dream. A tape recorder positioned near the bed may aid in collecting dreams, but paper and pencil are just as practical for recording the vital thoughts, images, and emotions of the dream. After successfully recalling and recording a dream, what do you have? Early analysts, Emil A. Gutheil among them, believed in a single correct interpretation of a dream. To Freud, a dream was a personal conflict that is symbolized, condensed, and displaced through "dream work." This conversion is necessary in allowing the dream to enter into awareness and to be recalled. Associative work, Freud wrote, will be required to reestablish connections that were disconnected by the dream work. This reconstitution may be compared to the flavor of instant coffee: straight, it is a bitter, foul-tasting stuff; Claude H. Miller, M.D., Fellow, American Academy of Psychoanalysis; President, Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis. Papers that appear in Public Forum have been presented to lay audiences at the Karen Homey Psychiatric Center and Clinic during the academic year. 163

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diluted with a sufficient quantity of boiling water, it becomes a palatable beverage resembling the original brew. In viewing the dream as unstructured stimuli, it is important to remember that just as each response to a Rorschach card is different, so too are responses to a dream. Overlap, scoring as popular responses on the Rorschach, emanates from sharing a common culture, language, symbols, and experiences, as well as sharing a common set of human potentials. No one can tell you what your dream means to you unless he has your connections to it; the best he can achieve is to interpret your dream as his own. Lack of recognition of this fact accounts for much of the chaos and abuse that takes place under the aegis of dream interpretation. In addition to being an unstructured stimulus, a dream is also a position statement. It alerts the dreamer to his mental fix on his life, interpersonal relationships, mood, and the world. This is comparable to the sailor's taking a sighting with his sextant to get a celestial fix on his immediate position. This may at first seem incongruous, as most people believe that they know themselves thoroughly--particularly if they have undergone extensive analysis. Yet a patient has never been at this point in his life before, has never faced these unique issues, and has never possessed this much experience. Naturally a dream does contain evidences of personal character structure, i.e., chronic and repetitive attitudes and viewpoints that have developed over the years. Today's dream is as fresh and crisp as this morning's New York Times; the ability to read it, understand it, and do the crossword puzzle indicates a background of reading it and doing the crossword puzzle. In addition to being an unstructured stimulus and a position statement, a dream can be an early warning system that alerts us to upcoming issues that we have been ignoring or trying to forget about. This function is comparable to the DEW Line around our national borders--the Defense Early Warning radar system that will tell us if there is a bogey on the horizon that merits our attention and identification. The fourth characteristic of a dream is the moment of transformation, a change of state that takes place during the dream. This moment of transformation is described as moving from a position of passive inertia to a state of involved activity. The intensity of this arousal is often experienced as a nightmare and requires reflection and attention before it can be integrated into the overall personality structure. The new versatility in life-style is in the state of being born atthe actual moment it is portrayed and experienced in the d ream. In conjunction with the four dimensions noted above--unstructured stimulus, position statement, early warning system, and moment of transformation, I have outlined a series of seven functions of dream, analogous to the functions of play: (1) assimilation of anxiety, (2) gratification of impulses, (3) catharsis, (4) synthesis, (5) mastery, (6) rehearsal, and (7) education.

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Assimilation of anxiety mirrors the concept of "working through." Even though we intellectually realize something is true, we must push through the embarrassment of actually doing it, implementing it, and living it before we change. Much of the fear experienced in new situations is from threshold anxiety or growing pains. If we are to emerge from the venture with additional self-esteem, we must be willing to experience this discomfort. Dreams serve to facilitate this rite of passage by dilating awareness, expanding consciousness, implementing versatility, and integrating growth. An example of gratification of impulse may be given by anyone who has ever been hungry for a long time; he may have a dream of attending a sumptuous banquet and feasting on all the delicacies that are unavailable during waking life. On awakening, this is frequently experienced as intense joy or distress, depending on the nature of a dream. Dreams can serve a cathartic purpose by diluting and dissipating painful misadventures in a variety of ways limited only by the creatMty of the dreamer. Since the reality principle does not work so forcefully in dreams, primary process thinking (magic) can be employed to make the noxious elements disappear. The catharsis dimension is exploited in release therapy during which unacceptable impulses are acted out in a structured, protected setting. Dreams provide such a setting on a nightly basis. Synthesis is the process similar to humor in which incongruous elements are juxtaposed, their reciprocal elements identified, and a new construct integrated, fusing the previously incompatible elements identified. This, too, is an aspect of creativity. There are different modes of mastery ranging from active to passive and on to magical. Oftentimes when one mode is routinely, habitually, or compulsively employed in waking life, an alternative mode can be tried in dreams. The classic example of rehearsal (future-oriented) is the dream sequence described by Gutheil in which a Jewish man was challenged to a duel by an Austrian army officer. Since the Jewish man had never fought before, he rehearsed in his dreams for the weeks preceding the scheduled encounter in order to enter the field of honor with prior knowledge of the feelings involved. Fortunately, his knowledge was never tested since the duel was cancelled. Some of the most dazzling educative feats of intellectual prowess in the fields of art and science are preceded by dreams. The dreamer studies the raw data for an extended period before sleep; in the dream state the consolidation of creative insights occurs, and the education process continues. This is a fine example of education in the sense of the Latin educare---to lead out---as opposed to learning as the acquisition of knowledge. Many psychoanalysts conduct dream seminars as well as therapy groups in which dreams feature extensively and intensively in personal insight. The late Asya Kadis devised a technique called "it's your dream." In this approach we use the series of thoughts, images, or emotions that are brought in by a

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student, patient, or psychoanalyst as a springboard for associations. Each participant uses the dream as his own. This demonstrates that the dream can facilitate connections that were preconscious but not explicit and available for integration into daily life. It illustrates the maxim, "When Peter tells you about Paul, he tells you more about Peter than he does about Paul." The unstructured stimulus provides a vehicle for projection; the group pressure and support provides an incentive and a forum to deal with previously taboo material. In the group situation the source of the dream is immaterial. The dream of C. G. Jung recorded in the book Man and His Symbols can be used with telling effects. In my dream seminar we regularly use recorded dreams in the first semester and our Own dreams in the second. This gives us a chance to build up some security and group feeling before launching into the obvious selfdisclosure involved in reporting our own dreams. Dream understanding is generally enhanced by telling it to an interested listener. Some caution and guidance should be used to avoid ruining a constructive dream in an attempt to avoid the intense pleasure associated with a transformation. Many incidents for which we develop blind spots are apparent to another who does not share our need to remain unaware. One should choose a listener who is both receptive and friendly. In relating a dream we are risking the exposure of our fears and frailties; if the listener is hostile, we risk great emotional trauma. To the sensitive person who is hurt, the experience may not only confirm the low opinion of himself and others but also create a hesitancy to reveal other dreams. A warm, responsive listener will foster eagerness to share future creative productions of advantage to ourselves and our confidant. Dr. Alvin R. Mahrer devised a practical format to foster personal change through the systematic use of dreams. The process was based on the following seven steps: (1) selecting the dream, (2) recording the dream, (3) linking the dream to recent events, (4) identifying the motivation, (5) identifying the critical life event, (6) experiencing the motivation, and (7) facilitating new behaviors. To illustrate the application of these phases, I will use a dream of mine, experienced during my 1976 summer vacation: I had a problem with my nose, and was to have an operation to mobilize the temporal artery prior to transplantation of it to the inside of the nose. A physician was explaining this procedure to a group of interns. The surgery was highly experimental and would leave a big scar. The nerve preparation procedure was completed. While the surgeon illustrated the technique with rubber tubing, I awoke, screaming, "No, No, No[" In selecting the dream, it qualifies as potentially useful because of its intense emotions, nightmare proportions, and its place in the monitoring results of my dreams. I recorded the dream on awakening, including as much detail and emotion as I could recall.

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In linkingthe dream to recent events, I noted that it took place on a Monday morning. I had been planning to leave that day for a week in the wilderness to enjoy the solitude and for a break from teaching, patients, and the telephone. I was also scheduled to present a paper within the next six weeks ancl had not begun to write it. The completed paper was to be delivered in final form to the chairman a month before the presentation, leaving scarcely a week to write the paper. Identifying the motivation required some introspection. In the dream I was a hospital patient. All my clothing, feeding, and shelter needs were being taken care of. I was inactive and had no responsibilities or duties. This is analogous to the restorative and regressive experience of my vacation. The actual work and research on the paper had been done in the preceding year. I would associate the nose problem with my curiosity--I had been nosing around the topic of the Human Potential Movement, and had chosen it for the paper. I had satisfied myself that I had enough information to write the paper, but had not yet done it. Identifying the critical life event led to my reluctance to stay at home, give up a week of my vacation, and write the paper. I was the doctor ,who had agreed to teach the interns the highly experimental procedure in the dream-the Human Potential Movement in reality. If I did not do a good job, I would lose face in front of my professional colleagues (the big scar of the dream). In experiencing the motivation, I associated the rubber tubing with the rubber hose used in detective novels to beat the truth out of a suspect. A conflict existed between wanting to go on vacation and the need to remain at home and complete the paper on time. Once I returned to work in September, I would have little time to devote to the presentation. At the moment of peak feeling, I could not accept the consequences of my inactivity, laziness, and inertia; indeed, I was already in the process of transformation from passivity to activity when I woke up screaming. Screaming occurs midway between thought and action. This dream woke me up both literally and figuratively while facilitating new behaviors. It did not replace the work I was obliged to do that wou Id discharge my obligations. Therefore, I cancelled my plans to go on vacation and completed the paper. When I returned to work in September, I was able to have it typed into final form and complete the commitment. Undoubtedly there are many other dimensions which I did not explore. As the above example shows, getting the message from a dream requires introspection, concentration, and full realization of personal weaknesses. Dreams can be both revealing and useful, but only through a conscious patient effort and willingness to disclose emotions and sensitivities. The potential value of dreams is well worth the effort; don't let your dreams go to waste.

Focus on dreams: how they can work for you.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS38:163-167 (1978) PUBLIC F O R U M FOCUS ON DREAMS: H O W THEY CAN WORK FOR YOU Claude H. Miller You may not...
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